Sound artist Yuri Suzuki stresses the power of sound

October 08, 2016

Text Maria Elena Oberti

LONDON – In tune with his urban surroundings, a London-based Japanese musician stresses the power of sound when we caught up with him for a chat.

How would you describe your work?Yuri Suzuki: I use sound as a material. My work is multidisciplinary; it intersects with many fields, such as technology, interactive and product design, installation art and film. Basically, my work is anything that involves or can be used to create sound.

What inspires you?Music mostly, but also sound in general. The ‘music’ that surrounds us daily.

Is your work influenced by any particular movement or person?I’m influenced by a wide variety of fields and people. Just a few of those that come to mind – many of whom I had the fortune to work with or study under – are Alexander Calder, Christian Marclay, Maywa Denki, Jeff Mills, Radiophonic Workshop, Kraftwerk, Tim Hunkin, Durrell Bishop, Jesper Kouthoofd, Anthony Dunne, Åbäke, Takeshi Ishiguro and DMX Krew.

What are you proudest of?I’m never proud of myself.

Are there projects you’d like to work on that haven’t yet come your way?I’d like to get back to doing sound installations. My last solo show was in 2010, so it’s been a while. I’d like to develop my personal work a bit more. More recently, I’ve been getting into performance projects and developing work related to music and children’s education, which I really enjoy. I’d like to continue working in this field. I’ve also thought about developing new musical instruments and directing music videos.

What is one thing you can’t live without?I haven’t tried yet, but I don’t think I could ever live without sound.

What does your studio or workspace look like?My studio is located in an old tent factory. It’s filled with musical instruments, computers and other machinery.

Describe your creative process in five words.Dream, try, fail, dream, and try. Then repeat the sequence.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?I’m not sure where I’ll end up. I used to love London, but I’m not as drawn to it these days. I’m always looking for new and interesting places to explore.

Where do you think design is headed?In the past, design was about improving the way people live. I think design today is focused too heavily on the business side of things. There’s nothing wrong with business, but there needs to be a balance.